


Dreamwalk

by BreakfastTea



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Angst, Brotherhood: Final Fantasy XV, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Post-Advent Children (Compilation of FFVII), big brother cloud for the win, no FFVII Remake spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-04
Updated: 2020-05-04
Packaged: 2021-03-03 04:26:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,829
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24008824
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BreakfastTea/pseuds/BreakfastTea
Summary: Noctis finds himself back in the dream world, with no memory of what's driven him there. And instead of finding Carbuncle, he finds a strange man with a very large sword. Together, they're going to have to help each other find a way back to their waking worlds.
Comments: 26
Kudos: 174





	Dreamwalk

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone! 
> 
> So, I started writing this last summer right around the time I also started my fic "Meteor". I then completely forgot about this until a few days ago when I *knew* I had to finish it. Because what could be cuter than post-AC parental!Cloud with bby!Noctis? Nothing, is the answer. Nothing could be cuter. 
> 
> There are no FFVIIR spoilers, but if you've only played that game and never experience the original and the sequel movie, this is kiiiinda spoilerish. Kind of. Read at your peril. 
> 
> Oh, oh, oh, one last thing. I totally picture FFXV's Carbuncle, not VIIR's. Because, XV!Carbuncle is the best.

Waking up to a gentle breeze and the sight of trees wasn’t what Noctis expected. When had he fallen asleep? He looked around and realised he hadn’t even woken up yet. He knew this forest, although he hadn’t expected to come back. Wait. Did that mean Carbuncle was here? Noctis looked around, feeling his heart slowly sink. He was alone.

Maybe Carbuncle wanted to play hide and seek?

Pushing himself to his feet, Noctis walked down the forest path. At least here, in the dream, his legs worked properly. He looked down at himself, even more confused than he was before. Where were his sneakers? His feet were bare, and in place of his normal clothes were black pyjamas. Fear unfolded in his chest. Last time he'd dreamt of this place, he’d almost died. Noctis’ heart quavered. What had happened this time?

No point worrying about it. He just had to find a way to wake up.

"Carbuncle?" he called. His voice was a raspy croak, like he’d been crying or screaming. Had he? Pulling in a sharp breath, Noctis tried again. "Where are you?"

Silence greeted him. Confused, Noctis hurried down the path, trees blurring as he ran. He couldn’t be here alone. How would he get out?

The path ended by the forest’s lake. And what Noctis found wasn’t Carbuncle at all. There was someone else. A grownup. He looked like he was asleep. Actually, he looked exhausted. And injured. Noctis could see blood on the man’s torn clothing. Who was he? And why was he here? Had Carbuncle brought him here? Noctis looked around, but Carbuncle still didn’t appear. It was just Noctis and the strange, sleeping man. He edged closer and saw something he hadn't noticed before.

The injured man had a really, really big sword, bigger than any of the ones Noctis had ever seen in the Citadel. How could anyone use something so huge? It was at least double Noctis’ height and covered in dings and scrapes. Maybe the man had been hurt in a fight. Maybe he needed help. Noctis looked around again for Carbuncle. Nothing.

Frowning to himself, Noctis wondered if he could help somehow. He crouched down at the man’s side. He checked and found a pulse. Okay, good. At least he wasn’t dead. Checking the stranger over, Noctis saw blood seeping from a number of nasty looking wounds. Not so long ago he could’ve used healing magic. Now… well, a lot of things had changed for him. He pressed his hands to the tops of his legs. He squeezed his eyes shut to hold in the tears. He hated how different everything was now. The pain. The changes to his magic. The way people looked at him like he might fall apart if he even tried to walk. At least Luna never told him to sit still, do nothing, be patient. She helped him to stand and walk, with Pryna and Umbra dancing around them. It was like she was the only person who could see him for real, without wishing he was the same person he’d been before the attack.

Luna. Noctis felt something spark in the back of his mind. A memory. But it was gone before he could grab it. All it left was a feeling, a bad one, like he was supposed to be somewhere else.

Had he slept through one of Luna’s stories? That would be rude…

…Never mind. She’d understand. Because here, in his dream, he could move like he used to. He would find a way to help this stranger.

The stranger who showed no sign of waking up.

Time passed. Noctis slipped into a doze until the man stirred. Startled, Noctis backed up a step. The man's hand landed on his sword before his eyes even opened. Noctis has only ever seen Kingsglaive and Crownsguard do that. It meant he’d been trained to fight. Trained to protect.

Probably trained to kill. After everything that had happened, Noctis understood that a bit better now.

The man’s eyes opened. Noctis forced himself to speak. "Excuse me, sir?"

The blond man looked up at him. He was a lot younger than Noctis expected. Younger than Dad and Clarus. Younger even than Cor. Noctis couldn’t look away. He hadn't ever seen eyes like that before. So _blue,_ but with a green light around the pupils. "Um…” Noctis scrambled for the right thing to ask. “Are you okay?"

"Yeah." The man's voice was deep but soft. He released his sword and pressed a hand to his chest. He winced. "I'm fine."

Noctis knew that kind of ‘fine’. It was the lying kind. But no one ever asked him more when he said it, so he wasn’t gonna ask the man if he was telling the truth. "I think Carbuncle brought you here," he said. "Because you needed a rest." But Carbuncle still wasn’t anywhere to be seen. “Um, do you know Carbuncle?”

“We’ve met once or twice.” The man looked up at Noctis. "Looks like you needed a rest too."

Noctis tugged on his pyjamas. "I'm dreaming again." He just didn’t remember why. His memory was all foggy. Hadn’t he been with Luna? In the gardens of her home? Maybe he’d fallen asleep in his wheelchair again. He kept doing that. Sometimes all the healing wore him out.

The man looked around. "Not a bad place to spend a dream." He stood up, sliding his sword into the holster on his back. Weapon secure, he crouched by Noctis so their height differences weren't so extreme. "My name is Cloud."

"I'm Noctis. But you can call me Noct. Everyone does." Well, everyone except Luna. She was so polite and proper.

Cloud nodded, his eyes sweeping over Noctis. "Did something happen to you too?"

Noctis wasn’t entirely sure. "I think I'm just asleep out there." At least, he hoped that was right. He really didn't remember anything else. “What happened to you?”

“A fight,” Cloud said.

“A bad one?” Noctis asked.

Cloud smiled briefly. “I won.” Noctis looked at Cloud’s wounds. If this was what winning looked like, losing must really suck. “Yeah, I know.” Cloud shrugged. “I’ve had better fights.”

Noctis couldn’t help the laugh that broke out. Cloud took it with very good grace. 

"So, you've been here before?" Cloud asked.

Noctis nodded. " I couldn't wake up that time until Carbuncle showed me the way. Maybe we’ll have to find our own way out now.”

"Maybe I'll spend a little time here before I wake up." He stood straighter. "It's peaceful."

"It isn't peaceful where you're from out there?" Noctis asked.

"It is again now," Cloud said. “Besides, sometimes peace has to come from within before you can appreciate anything else.”

Noctis saw him press a hand to his chest. Was something hurting else him there? His clothes were torn and bloody after all. “If you’re hurt, I bet Carbuncle can heal you.”

“It’s okay. It doesn’t hurt too much anymore.” Standing, Cloud walked back towards the lake. "I can see why Carbuncle brought me here."

"We played together last time I was here," Noctis said. Carbuncle even had a ball for him to play with, just like the one Dad bought him, even though Dad was always too busy to play. Now, it looked like Carbuncle had left him too. Noctis felt something crack inside him, like a lot of people had left him lately and he couldn’t think why. He had to swallow hard to keep from crying. “I liked it here that time.”

“Sounds good,” Cloud said. “But this time it’s different?”

Noctis looked up at Cloud. Somehow, he didn’t think the man with the big sword would want to play while they waited out their dream. Noctis wished he could remember why he was here… not that he’d really understood it last time either. But his memory was… “It’s a little different now.”

"You find yourself unconscious frequently?" Cloud asked.

Noctis’ bare toes scuffed back and forth over the grass. "Mmmm, maybe more than other people.”

"Yeah, me too." Cloud glanced at Noctis. "You can't let yourself be trapped in dream worlds. Illusions are never better than real life."

"No, I know. There are people waiting for me." Dad would be scared. And Luna…She was always so nice. He loved being with her. And he missed Ignis, too. 

"Your family’s waiting?" Cloud asked.

Noctis nodded. Something must've happened for him to be asleep like this again. The answer was hovering right at the edges of his mind. He didn’t know if he should reach for it or stay back, stay away, avoid whatever it was he couldn’t remember. Last time, he’d awoken to pain and death. He wasn’t sure he was ready for more.

…except he couldn’t leave people to worry about him. He sighed. “I need to wake up.”

“We both do,” Cloud said. "Do you remember the way out from before?"

"Um... Maybe?" The dream was strange, connecting places that didn’t go together, full of strange little nightmares that he’d fought off. And Carbuncle had been with him every step of the way. Not this time though. Maybe Cloud was the new Carbuncle? Noctis looked at Cloud’s sword again. At least he could fight. Feeling more confident, Noctis pointed to the forest pathway. It curved around the lake, plunging back into the green woodland on the other shore. “This way.”

Cloud joined Noctis. "Alright."

Cloud walked fast; too fast for Noctis. He had to jog to keep up. When Cloud noticed, he slowed down. “Sorry. Guess I’m in a rush.”

"You wanna wake up?" Noctis asked.

"I need to make sure my friends are alright," Cloud said.

"You're worried about them?" Noctis asked.

"They're my friends. My family. They're very important to me."

"Oh." Noctis thought of Dad, Luna, Ignis… They were very important to him, too.

But if he was dreaming like this… If something bad had happened again, he didn’t want to – he was –

He was scared. What if Dad had died this time? What if he woke up and he was alone?

His memory stirred. He could hear shouting, explosions…

A warm hand landed on his head. "You must have friends you care about."

Noctis nodded. He pressed his lips together, blinking hard to keep the tears back. He didn’t want to remember. He didn’t want to see it… But he also couldn’t hide forever. What was he supposed to do?

Cloud stopped. “Noct?”

It was coming for him. Screaming out of his brain. The memory broke through. Pain tore through his heart and his footsteps faltered. It all hit him. The attack on the Manor. Fire. Bodies… Luna! "We left her behind." He pressed his hands to his chest like it might stop the pain, but all it did was make him sob. "Luna. We left Luna behind!"

Luna hadn’t escaped with them. And her mother… She’d been…

Noctis pressed his hands to his face. “I don’t want to remember!”

It kept coming. Fire and screaming. Monsters and daemons. Everything blurring into one nightmare. And through it all, Luna not running. Luna stopping to watch as the MTs surrounded her.

Hands rested on his shoulders. Cloud had crouched down in front of him. “Calm down. You need to breathe.”

Noctis had reached for her, but… then… “We left her behind!” Noctis wept. “They killed her mother!”

“Your friend?” Cloud asked.

Noctis nodded. He was crying too hard to speak.

“She’s alive?”

Again, Noctis could only nod. The MTs hadn’t killed her. He hadn’t stopped staring, even as they got so far away he couldn’t see her anymore. After Luna stayed behind, he didn’t remember much. Dad running, Glaives and Crownsguard swarming around them, people shouting and screaming, telling them where to go, a train racing away from Tenebrae and then…

…this place.

But he was sure Luna was alive. “I don’t know how to help her.”

“Someday, if you want it enough, you’ll see her again. Even if you have to fight for it.”

Noctis looked up, rubbing at his eyes. “Fight?”

“Right. We have to look out for the people we care about, even when we think we aren’t good enough,” Cloud said.

Not good enough. That sounded right. Noctis could hardly walk in the waking world. Right now, he wasn’t good for anything.

“And if we lose them, we have to live our lives for them. We have to be their living legacies.”

Noctis sniffed. “We have to make them proud?”

“Yeah,” Cloud said, giving Noctis shoulders a gentle squeeze. “That’s right.”

He could do that. Noctis could learn to fight. Then he could take on the Empire and save Luna, and make it so Dad didn’t have to hold up the Wall anymore. “I have to be stronger.” And maybe a bit bigger than he was now.

“And never lose sight of what’s most important to you.”

Cloud seemed to know lots about it. Noctis wondered who he’d lost, and who he wanted to make proud. He wanted to ask, but that would be rude. So instead, Noctis sniffed hard, scrubbed his eyes until the tears stopped, and turned to face their onward path again. He couldn’t keep crying about Luna forever. He needed to be strong. That way, he could save her, and he’d never have to lose her.

“Better?” Cloud asked, hands dropping down from Noctis’ shoulders.

“Yeah,” Noctis said. He knew what to do now.

Cloud ruffled Noctis’ hair and stood. “Good. Ready to keep going?”

“Ready.”

They carried on down the forest pathway, the sound of water fading the further they went from the pond. Noctis knew he needed to wake up but without Carbuncle’s help, he wasn’t sure how. Could he find his safe place on his own? And what about Cloud? The Regalia wouldn’t be the same for him.

Light faded. Mist gathered, blurring the forest. Strange noises whispered from the darkness, sounds like voices, except they were muffled and weird, stretched out and too slow. Noctis didn’t like it. He stayed close to Cloud’s side. Cloud held out a hand. Noctis took it, clinging on tight. He didn’t want to be separated, not while the world changed around them. The forest shifted, brightening until it was something else.

Somewhere else.

Instead of the forest, Noctis saw a town full of little wooden houses, with a large well at the centre. Everything seemed to be penned in by big cliffs, like this town had sprung up like a weed in a crack between mountains. Noctis saw the path led past a large house and into the mountains beyond. There were shadows out there, too big to be people, watching out the windows, and it looked like they were moving.

Daemons?

“Cloud?” Noctis’ voice shook.

“Stay close,” Cloud said.

“Where are we?” Noctis asked. He’d never seen this place before. It looked like a place from the history books he’d seen at school.

“Nibelheim,” Cloud said. He stepped in front of Noctis, hand ready to draw his sword. “That’s the way we should go,” he said, pointing towards the path into the mountains. He didn’t take his eyes off the shadows moving around them. “Stay with me, okay?”

Noctis didn’t need telling twice. He stuck close to Cloud’s side, eyes on the shadows. “Are those daemons?”

“Daemons, monsters. Don’t worry,” Cloud said. “I can protect you.”

Noctis knew Cloud could keep him safe, but he also didn’t want to be attacked again. The daemons didn’t come out, but they were everywhere. His heart threw itself against his ribs. He stuck close to Cloud as they reached the well. So far, so good. They could do this. They could totally get through this little village place without being attacked. It was just a dream, right?

“Do you see Carbuncle?” Noctis asked.

“No,” Cloud said. “We just have to keep going.”

“Okay,” Noctis said. “Is this your dream?”

“Yeah.” Cloud looked grim, like Dad did when he got a bad phone call and had to rush off back to work. “We just gotta get through it.”

Noctis swallowed hard. That didn’t sound good.

A crackling sound filled the night air. Fire erupted from the buildings around them. Smoke clogged the sky. Shadows, monsters, leapt in front of them, blocking their path. Noctis didn’t need to back away; Cloud grabbed him and lifted him onto the well’s platform. “Stay here! I’ll come back for you when it’s safe.”

“O-okay.” Noctis hadn’t ever seen daemons like these. They were as tall as Cloud and shaped like _people_ , but their bodies were covered in hard scales, their hands and feet webbed. And their eyes _glowed_.

Cloud swung forward, his sword swinging in an arc, cutting the creatures down. Noctis watched from his perch. He’d never seen anyone fight like that before. And when Cloud pulled his sword apart so he had a weapon in each hand, Noctis watched him slice through everything that came at him with amazing, terrifying ease. The daemons’ bodies turned into green, sparking light before they hit the ground. A few minutes later, there weren’t any left. Cloud had killed all of them. Noctis was amazed. Cloud wasn’t even out of breath.

Could he be that strong someday?

“Noct?” Cloud called. “It’s safe.”

Noctis slid to the edge of the well. Cloud lifted him down. “You okay?” Cloud asked, putting Noctis back on his feet.

“Yeah! So, is this your safe place?” Noctis asked. He looked around, but everything was on fire.

“Once, maybe, when I was your age,” Cloud said, expression grim. “Not anymore.”

“It isn’t?” Noctis asked.

“My friends aren’t here,” he said. “Only monsters.” His hand reached for his head. “Monsters and nightmares.” He looked at Noctis. “We should keep moving.”

“Okay.” Noctis didn’t understand why Carbuncle wasn’t with them, protecting them from this place. But, then again, last time Noctis had fought off monsters too. His weren’t as nasty as Cloud’s though. Cloud must’ve been through some really scary stuff.

Before they could walk on, a terrible shrieking cry went out from one of the buildings. Noctis looked and saw more of the horrible daemons leaping out of a mansion at the back of the small town.

“Hide!” Cloud ordered.

Noctis couldn’t move. Fear rooted him to the spot. He watched, mesmerised, as Cloud cut through everything and anything that came at him. There was no way anything could hurt Cloud, not the way he fought. Noctis longed to have that kind of strength. That way, he could go and rescue Luna and no one would ever hurt her again. And no one would ever hurt him or the other people he cared about.

Cloud fought on, cutting through everything in his path. The creatures’ cries were awful, less monstrous and more like wounded animals. Noctis clamped his hands over his ears. He hated it. They sounded like people.

Why wasn’t Carbuncle here?

The screaming went on. More daemons appeared, throwing themselves at Cloud. Noctis’ mind kept going back to that night, to the screams of the Crownsguard and the shrieks of the daemon that had attacked him and killed Ciel. What if that daemon came back? What if it hurt him? Hurt Cloud? Noctis didn’t want that. He couldn’t let that happen. He clenched his fists, silently crying out for Carbuncle. They needed help! Noctis couldn’t do it alone. He – they – needed Carbuncle’s help.

“Please,” Noctis whispered. “Carbuncle. We need you!”

He felt something. Deep in his heart. A glow of warmth. A familiar chirp sounded out. Noctis felt four small paws land on his shoulders. “You’re here!”

Carbuncle nuzzled Noctis’ cheek. Noctis reached up and grabbed the phone Carbuncle had for him. _It’s okay. I’m here. You Summoned me! You’re safe. Sorry. It took me a while to find you! You’re travelling through dreams after all, and this one isn’t yours._

“We have to help Cloud!”

_I know! And you Summoned me. So let’s work together!_ A fighting chocobo emoji popped up onscreen.

Noctis stepped forward. The screams hit hard, bringing tears to Noctis’ eyes. He could see Cloud struggling, his movements slowing. He was here in the dream because he’d been hurt in the waking world. He couldn’t fight alone. Noctis had to do something before Cloud –

_We can fight together. All you need to do is lend me your strength._

“Okay! Let’s do it!”

With a familiar cry, Carbuncle leapt into the air and somersaulted, a bright ruby light exploding out. The monsters fell away, bouncing off Carbuncle’s shield. Noctis felt a great rush of energy wash through him. He staggered, a little dizzy.

_Wow, Noct! You’re gonna be really strong someday! Your feelings made my magic more powerful._

Footsteps ran over. It was Cloud. He caught Noctis before he could fall. “Are you alright?” he asked, lowering Noctis to the ground.

Noctis nodded. “Carbuncle’s here.”

“Did you use Summon magic?” Cloud asked. He stared at Noctis. “That’s amazing.” He frowned. “Your eyes… They changed colour. Are you alright?”

Nodding, Noctis yawned in response. He was too exhausted to do anything else. Summoning was _hard_. He handed Carbuncle’s phone to Cloud.

_Don’t worry. His eyes are different because Summoning is a lot different in his world to yours. He’ll be okay._

“His world?” Cloud asked.

_It’s a long story!_

“As long as we’re safe, it can wait.” Cloud handed the phone back to Noctis. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Noctis said through another huge yawn.

Carbuncle padded over to Cloud’s side, head rubbing against Cloud’s leg. Cloud tickled Carbuncle behind the ears. Carbuncle returned the favour by casting Cure. “You really managed a Summon by yourself?” Cloud asked Noctis.

“I guess? Are you okay?” Noctis asked, dragging up the energy needed to speak.

“I’m fine,” Cloud said. “Thanks to you two.”

“Are those monsters from your nightmares?” Noctis asked.

“That’s where they live now,” Cloud said, tapping his head. “They can’t hurt anyone anymore.”

Noctis frowned. That didn’t sound very nice at all. “But they can hurt you. Inside.” He looked at Carbuncle. “I don’t know how to fix that.”

“It’s okay,” Cloud said. “That’s better than them still being out there in the real world.”

“Nightmares aren’t nice either,” Noctis said. He reached up for Carbuncle, who obligingly ran along his arm and leapt onto Cloud’s shoulder instead. “You need someone to look after you for a while. That way, you don’t have to be alone in your nightmares.”

Cloud smiled. “Maybe.” Carbuncle sat on his shoulder, tail curling around his neck, tucked neatly between Cloud and his sword. “Sometimes I’m not so good at that.”

“At letting people look after you?” Noctis asked.

“Right,” Cloud said.

_But he’s gonna get better at it!_

Noctis held the phone up so Cloud could read the message. Cloud’s laugh was soft. “Yeah, I think I am.” He held out his hand to Noctis. “Think you can keep going?”

“Yeah.” Noctis grabbed Cloud’s hand and let himself be pulled back to his feet. He was wobbly but standing. He yawned again, clinging onto Cloud’s hand so he didn’t fall on his face. “Did you live here? Is that why you’re dreaming about it?”

“It was my hometown. But this isn’t where I belong anymore. It’s behind me. I have to look to the future.”

“Dad says something like that,” Noctis said. “About standing tall and moving forward, no mater what.” For the first time in his life, he thought he understood what Dad meant.

“That’s what we’re gonna do.” Cloud pointed to a path that headed out of town into the mountains. “That way.”

With Carbuncle returning to sit on his shoulders, Noctis held Cloud’s hand and walked through the town. When they hit the path, everything changed again. Noctis had to close his eyes; all the spinning and turning made him extra sleepy and nauseous on top of it. When things settled down, Noctis found a strange place that was both familiar and new. They stood on a road, surrounded by buildings. Parts he recognised to be Insomnia. Others looked stranger… He saw a large, old-fashioned building that shone with light but was full of holes. It was surrounded by piles of rubble and scrap. Noctis stared at it, certain he could hear a woman laughing from somewhere inside. She sounded happy.

Most importantly, he could see the Regalia on the road. Beside it sat and enormous motorbike.

“Nice car,” Cloud said.

“It’s Dad’s,” Noctis said. “Is that your bike?”

“Yeah,” Cloud said. “But maybe I should trade it in. Gonna need a car.”

Noctis frowned. “Why?”

“Can’t really get your family on a bike so easily.”

More voices emerged from the building on Cloud’s side of the road. Noctis looked and saw bright light pouring out. “Who’s in there?”

“Family,” Cloud said. “Same for you?” He asked, pointing to the car.

Noctis nodded. There were lots of voices coming out of the church. “I think my family is smaller than yours.”

“Family doesn’t need to be big. Either way, it means you’re not alone. You can talk to them. Share your burdens.”

Thinking of Dad, Luna and Ignis, Noctis nodded. “I’m not always so good at talking to them.”

“Try,” Cloud said. “You can’t hold it all in forever. Trust me. After a while, it weighs you down too much. And you’re too young for that.”

Figuring maybe he could try, Noctis headed over to the Regalia. “I hope you’re okay,” he said. “When you wake up.” He put a hand over his chest where he could see Cloud’s bloody wound. “I’m sure your family can’t wait for you to wake up.”

Cloud smiled. “I have a bad habit of sleeping when I shouldn’t.”

Noctis laughed. “So do I!”

Carbuncle chirped. _Time for both of you to go back!_

Noctis opened the car door. The familiar interior waited for him. He looked back to Cloud. “Thanks. For everything.”

“Yeah, same to you,” Cloud said, hand on his bike. “Take care of yourself.” He nodded to Carbuncle. “You take care of him too.”

Carbuncle chirped.

Noctis smiled. He drew himself up to his full height, forcing his features into a serious expression. “Don’t forget to let other people take care of you,” he told Cloud. “It’s not nice to have so many nightmares alone.”

Cloud turned to the broken building. “I’ll do my best.”

“Me too.” Noctis climbed into the Regalia and closed the door behind him. He watched Cloud walk into the building, bright light swirling around him and drawing him in. Noctis thought he could hear singing.

**_Thank you. For looking after him. He still gets lost sometimes._ **

“Huh?” Noctis cupped his hands to his ears. “Who are you?”

**_A friend. Take care, little one. You are loved more than you know. Be strong, follow your heart, and believe in yourself._ **

Peacefulness settled around Noctis, wrapping around his shoulders like the softest blanket. He settled himself across the backseat, Carbuncle curling up against his chest.

**_Rest well._ **

Noctis’ eyes slid shut. He took a deep breath and smelled flowers. He roused himself enough to reply. “You can look out for Cloud?”

**_Oh, I’ve always got one eye on him._ **

“That’s good,” Noctis said.

And then he was asleep. Or he was waking up. It was all very strange, because the next thing he knew, he was still in the Regalia, except it was moving. And he could smell Dad’s cologne. Noctis opened his eyes and saw grey, raining skies beyond the car’s windows. He moved, his body aching and stiff. Dulled pain raced down his spine and into his leg. It was nothing like before, but it still caught him out.

A warm hand ran through his hair. “Noct?”

“Mmm, Dad?”

“I’m here.” Dad kept his voice soft. “Stay still. You’ve been asleep for a very long time.”

Noctis found his body was too heavy to move properly anyway. “I had a dream.”

“A good one, I hope.” Dad sounded strange. Strained. Worried.

Noctis remembered Cloud and Carbuncle. He remembered leaving Luna behind. The pain stirred in him, never far away, but he knew he could be strong. If he wasn’t, he’d never be able to help. “Good dream,” Noctis said.

Dad sighed. He sounded relieved. His hand kept running back and forth through Noctis’ hair. “Rest a while longer. We aren’t quite home yet.”

The pull of sleep was almost too much to resist. “Luna,” he managed.

Dad drew a sharp breath. “Noct, I – ”

“’m gonna save her,” Noctis said. He pictured Cloud’s sword, cutting through the daemons. “Slice through everything.”

“Maybe when you’re bigger,” Dad chuckled. He sounded better now, more relaxed. His warm hand carefully rubbed Noctis’ back. “Sleep now. We’ll be home when you wake up.”

Safe enough for now, Noctis fell back to sleep, hoping Cloud would be okay too. Because even though it was tough and his heart ached, Noctis knew he wasn’t alone.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much for reading! I will be back in a few weeks with some new requests :D
> 
> Until then, I'm still ranting and raving about FFVII, VIIR and XV over on my [Tumblr](https://breakfastteatime.tumblr.com/) ^_^ Oh, and I'm playing Crisis Core for the first time too, so expect some general rambling about that too ^^;;;


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